Friday's early afternoon trade: Indexes flat; on track for best month in four years

US stock indexes were flat on the last trading day of what could be the best month for stocks in four years as investors assessed consumer spending data and results from energy majors.
The S&P consumer staples sector slipped 0.63 percent after data showed US consumer spending barely rose in September and the University of Michigan's index on consumer sentiment came in below expectations.
The three major indexes have rallied about 9 percent in October, mostly driven by the Fed's decision to keep rates unchanged at its September meeting and largely positive third-quarter results.
Energy majors Exxon and Chevron reported better-than-expected results, helped by strong refining margins. The stocks were up about 1 percent, with Chevron providing the biggest boost to the Dow.
"My expectation is that the rest of the day is going to be pretty quiet," said Bob Phillips, managing principal of Spectrum Management Group in Indianapolis.
At 12:51 pm ET (1651 GMT), the Dow Jones industrial average was up 8.92 points, or 0.05 percent, at 17,764.72, the S&P 500 was down 0.07 points at 2,089.34 and the Nasdaq Composite index was up 1.46 points, or 0.03 percent, at 5,075.74.
A 0.8 percent drop in the financials sector offset gains in energy stocks, which were lifted by higher crude prices.
As the earning season winds down, investors will be looking at data over the next several weeks for clues on the state of the economy before the Federal Reserve's December meeting.
The Fed made it clear on Wednesday that a rate hike in December was still possible if there was sufficient evidence that the economy could withstand an increase.